Jimmy Choo
Bringing sexy glamour to H&M in 2009 , the first ever collaboration with a shoes and accessories brand could only have been with the name on everyone’s lips – from Carrie Bradshaw and beyond.
Jimmy Choo
Power play wo rd s by A m i n a A k hta r
Tamara Mellon
Smart, strong, decadent and brash, the Jimmy Choo girl has ruled catwalks, red carpets, city streets and magazine pages for nearly 20 years now. Many will think of Carrie Bradshaw, as portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, as the patron saint, the most Choo-obsessed of all. But she had many real-life counterparts: in their perfect pointy-toe stilettos and caged platform heels, Choo girls all around the world confidently strode from one success to another. They also, no doubt, contributed to the increased interest in footwear at the turn of the century and beyond. H&M certainly had the Choo girl in mind when it tapped the London-based shoe and accessories company as one of its designer collaborations in 2009. As Margareta van den Bosch, creative adviser at H&M, put it, Jimmy Choo was bringing “sexy glamour” to the H&M customer. “Jimmy Choo makes the kind of shoes women want, even when they are flat,” she says. The shoes from the collaboration were no different: a luxurious mix of animal prints and metallics, peep-toe booties and strappy four-inch heels, plus a few flats (studded, of course). Each pair was a textbook statement shoe, and instantly covetable. As were the clothes created especially for the collaboration.
“Jimmy Choo was (and is) such a legendary name, and synonymous with a certain level of international glamour and chic,” says Paper Magazine’s editorial director Mickey Boardman. “Also, Tamara is everything. I’m a slavishly devoted fan.” Tamara, of course, is Tamara Mellon, co-founder and former chief creative officer of the label. In 1996, the former Vogue accessories editor founded the company with the shoemaker Jimmy Choo and his niece, Sandra Choi. Thanks to Mellon’s keen fashion sense, Choi’s design skills and Choo’s ability to create impeccably crafted shoes, the company took off stratospherically. H&M made the first approach to the shoe and accessories label. “It was an immediate yes,” said Mellon in an interview with American Vogue. “I’ve been watching what H&M has done with other designers, and the product is so well executed, and the idea so pioneering, that we also felt flattered.” Remarkably, this was the first time H&M had collaborated with an accessories brand. “That certainly had big appeal,” says Joe Zee, stylist and editor-in-chief of Yahoo Fashion, television presenter and former creative director of American Elle. “Of course, you have to give some credit to Sex and the City, which made Jimmy Choo a household
129
name. And while it may have been inaccessible for most of the audience out there, H&M then made it much more attainable.” “We wanted someone great who made shoes and bags, because we had not done that yet in a designer collaobration,” van den Bosch says. “Tamara and her collaborators really had a lot of ideas and a great feeling for what their customers are looking for.” H&M and Jimmy Choo also took the opportunity to present an entire universe – the sexy glamour Choo universe – by adding a ready-to-wear collection for women and men.
stitution on the fashion scene) atop the Standard Hotel in New York. The faces: Sasha Pivovarova, Anne V and Edita Vilkeviciute. Looking at them again, the photos definitely exude that in-charge sexiness that makes Jimmy Choo so desirable. The public agreed, which made Jimmy Choo for H&M a huge hit. “This collaboration stood out because of the reputation of the brand,” said fashion critic Robin Givhan, who covered the launch. She pointed out that collaborations such as the Jimmy Choo for H&M collection have not only given the fashion public a more accessible luxury, but also changed the way we shop “The dynamic of what made them [the shoes] special changed,” wrote Givhan. “Instead of having this wonderful mystery and magic, you had this competitive fervour.” And as anyone who has ever stood in line pre-dawn for the thrill of an H&M exclusive knows, the thrill of the hunt is everything. To control the impending chaos, H&M implemented a ticket system at the launch so customers could actually try the shoes on. “Otherwise, people would just rush in and mix the m a r g a r e ta va n d e n B o s c h sizes up,” van den Bosch smiles. But before the public could queue up for the collection, it had “It was extremely exciting for Tamara, at that point, to be appropriately celebrated. When you're talking about to think about doing the whole Jimmy Choo woman for shoes and accessories that look so at home on the red carpet, H&M,” Charlotte Pilcher, former artistic director of Jimmy it made complete sense to host the exclusive opening night Choo says. “It’s not easy to convey a complete woman if you party off the Sunset Strip beneath the Hollywood Hills. haven’t got ready-to-wear. The H&M collaboration was un“The Jimmy Choo for H&M collection embodies the believably exciting, because you did have it all. And they attitude and spirit of laidback party glamour. Los Angealso wanted menswear, men’s shoes and men’s bags.” The les is the perfect setting to do a party,” Mellon said of the ready-to-wear collection, in particular, was inspired by Tacelebration. The setting included a raised catwalk across a mara’s own sense of style, and the vintage clothing deployed swimming pool that overlooked Los Angeles, with M.I.A. in Jimmy Choo advertising at the time. performing. Celebs such as Paris Hilton, Olivia Wilde and “Tamara and I got an ideal wardrobe together, mainly Hayden Panettiere were all wearing the collection. vintage pieces, and then made comments – whether to add “I love H&M already, but the fact that they are doing something or take something away, change a bit of fabric,” Jimmy Choo, as well, I think is amazing,” Paris Hilton says Pilcher. “Going through our rails of inspirational piecexclaimed at the launch. “The purse… everything… the es, they had more of an evening bent to them – it was all shoes… the clothes are so cute!” Olivia Wilde noted the the Tamara Mellon woman, really.” Cue crystal-encrusted savviness of the pairing. “I think it’s very cool that the beaucashmere knits, maxi dresses with perfectly placed slits, tiful fashion and style of Jimmy Choo can be more accessible one-shoulder suede dresses, faux fur cover-ups, fringed to millions more people. I’ve always loved H&M, and I’ve pieces and suiting for men. They were, as Mellon called it at bought tons of stuff there. It’s a very stylish brand, and I the time, the “perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear think people who buy H&M are very discerning. They have out that night!” great taste, and they are going to really appreciate the influence “To be able to have clothing from Tamara and Jimmy of Jimmy Choo, whom I’ve been a fan of for many years.” Choo, when the label didn’t even do its own ready-to-wear, But for the all the excitement and Hollywood stargazing was something really unique and genius of H&M,” asserts at the LA party, what Jimmy Choo for H&M ultimately Mickey Boardman. “It’s not like you just got a cheaper vershowed the world was that everyone could be a Choo girl, no sion of a Jimmy Choo shoe. You also got stuff that was truly matter where she lived, and whether or not she trod the red limited edition. That’s what luxury is all about.” carpet. Sexy, strong and independent, this girl understands To advertise the collaboration, H&M and the Jimmy modern glamour. Intelligent and confident, she knows that Choo team turned to a photographer they had worked with her shoes convey a mood, and a fierce attitude. And for her, before: Terry Richardson. The setting: the then yet-to-open nothing does that better than her beloved Choos. Boom Boom Room nightclub (which later became an in-
“Jimmy Choo makes the kind of shoes women want, even when they are flat”
130
Olivia Wilde “I think
people who buy H&M are very discerning. They have great taste, and they are going to really appreciate the influence of Jimmy Choo, whom I’ve been a fan of for many years”
Edita Vilkeviciute and Sasha Pivovarova photographed by Terry Richardson for the campaign
Each pair was a textbook statement shoe, and instantly covetable Tamara Mellon cinches a model’s belt at the day of the Jimmy Choo for H&M campaign shoot
133
Tamara Mellon
“The Jimmy Choo for H&M collection embodies the attitude and spirit of laidback party glamour. Los Angeles is the perfect setting to do a party”
THE PARTY
Celebrities in attendance: (clockwise from top left) Paris Hilton, Tamara Mellon with Hayden Panettiere, Olivia Wilde and Sasha Alexander, Whitney Port with Tamara Mellon, Kate Walsh with friend. At right: M.I.A. performing
The Pieces that stood out Mickey Boardman
“To be able to have clothing from Tamara and Jimmy Choo, when the label didn’t even do its own ready-to-wear, was something really unique and genius of H&M”
1
Open toe, ankle-strap patent leather stiletto with a Dalmatian print and golden buckle.
From the campaign: Randy Lebeau and Edita Vilkeviciute
What Jimmy Choo for H&M ultimately showed the world was that everyone could be a Choo girl Sasha Pivovarova from the campaign
2
Vintage-inspired suede dress in Jimmy Choo’s signature blue colour.
3
5 At the fitting: trying a pair on for size
Open-toe ankle bootie with cut-out heel in suede and leather and with studs and eyelet detailing.
Zebra printed, fold-over, suede clutch bag with golden details.
4
Cut-off cowboy boot with snakeskin printed leather and different sized studs.
“The collection is all about perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!” ta m a r a m e l l o n
142
Jimmy Choo
Power play wo rd s by A m i n a A k hta r
Tamara Mellon
Smart, strong, decadent and brash, the Jimmy Choo girl has ruled catwalks, red carpets, city streets and magazine pages for nearly 20 years now. Many will think of Carrie Bradshaw, as portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, as the patron saint, the most Choo-obsessed of all. But she had many real-life counterparts: in their perfect pointy-toe stilettos and caged platform heels, Choo girls all around the world confidently strode from one success to another. They also, no doubt, contributed to the increased interest in footwear at the turn of the century and beyond. H&M certainly had the Choo girl in mind when it tapped the London-based shoe and accessories company as one of its designer collaborations in 2009. As Margareta van den Bosch, creative adviser at H&M, put it, Jimmy Choo was bringing “sexy glamour” to the H&M customer. “Jimmy Choo makes the kind of shoes women want, even when they are flat,” she says. The shoes from the collaboration were no different: a luxurious mix of animal prints and metallics, peep-toe booties and strappy four-inch heels, plus a few flats (studded, of course). Each pair was a textbook statement shoe, and instantly covetable. As were the clothes created especially for the collaboration.
“Jimmy Choo was (and is) such a legendary name, and synonymous with a certain level of international glamour and chic,” says Paper Magazine’s editorial director Mickey Boardman. “Also, Tamara is everything. I’m a slavishly devoted fan.” Tamara, of course, is Tamara Mellon, co-founder and former chief creative officer of the label. In 1996, the former Vogue accessories editor founded the company with the shoemaker Jimmy Choo and his niece, Sandra Choi. Thanks to Mellon’s keen fashion sense, Choi’s design skills and Choo’s ability to create impeccably crafted shoes, the company took off stratospherically. H&M made the first approach to the shoe and accessories label. “It was an immediate yes,” said Mellon in an interview with American Vogue. “I’ve been watching what H&M has done with other designers, and the product is so well executed, and the idea so pioneering, that we also felt flattered.” Remarkably, this was the first time H&M had collaborated with an accessories brand. “That certainly had big appeal,” says Joe Zee, stylist and editor-in-chief of Yahoo Fashion, television presenter and former creative director of American Elle. “Of course, you have to give some credit to Sex and the City, which made Jimmy Choo a household
129
name. And while it may have been inaccessible for most of the audience out there, H&M then made it much more attainable.” “We wanted someone great who made shoes and bags, because we had not done that yet in a designer collaobration,” van den Bosch says. “Tamara and her collaborators really had a lot of ideas and a great feeling for what their customers are looking for.” H&M and Jimmy Choo also took the opportunity to present an entire universe – the sexy glamour Choo universe – by adding a ready-to-wear collection for women and men.
stitution on the fashion scene) atop the Standard Hotel in New York. The faces: Sasha Pivovarova, Anne V and Edita Vilkeviciute. Looking at them again, the photos definitely exude that in-charge sexiness that makes Jimmy Choo so desirable. The public agreed, which made Jimmy Choo for H&M a huge hit. “This collaboration stood out because of the reputation of the brand,” said fashion critic Robin Givhan, who covered the launch. She pointed out that collaborations such as the Jimmy Choo for H&M collection have not only given the fashion public a more accessible luxury, but also changed the way we shop “The dynamic of what made them [the shoes] special changed,” wrote Givhan. “Instead of having this wonderful mystery and magic, you had this competitive fervour.” And as anyone who has ever stood in line pre-dawn for the thrill of an H&M exclusive knows, the thrill of the hunt is everything. To control the impending chaos, H&M implemented a ticket system at the launch so customers could actually try the shoes on. “Otherwise, people would just rush in and mix the m a r g a r e ta va n d e n B o s c h sizes up,” van den Bosch smiles. But before the public could queue up for the collection, it had “It was extremely exciting for Tamara, at that point, to be appropriately celebrated. When you're talking about to think about doing the whole Jimmy Choo woman for shoes and accessories that look so at home on the red carpet, H&M,” Charlotte Pilcher, former artistic director of Jimmy it made complete sense to host the exclusive opening night Choo says. “It’s not easy to convey a complete woman if you party off the Sunset Strip beneath the Hollywood Hills. haven’t got ready-to-wear. The H&M collaboration was un“The Jimmy Choo for H&M collection embodies the believably exciting, because you did have it all. And they attitude and spirit of laidback party glamour. Los Angealso wanted menswear, men’s shoes and men’s bags.” The les is the perfect setting to do a party,” Mellon said of the ready-to-wear collection, in particular, was inspired by Tacelebration. The setting included a raised catwalk across a mara’s own sense of style, and the vintage clothing deployed swimming pool that overlooked Los Angeles, with M.I.A. in Jimmy Choo advertising at the time. performing. Celebs such as Paris Hilton, Olivia Wilde and “Tamara and I got an ideal wardrobe together, mainly Hayden Panettiere were all wearing the collection. vintage pieces, and then made comments – whether to add “I love H&M already, but the fact that they are doing something or take something away, change a bit of fabric,” Jimmy Choo, as well, I think is amazing,” Paris Hilton says Pilcher. “Going through our rails of inspirational piecexclaimed at the launch. “The purse… everything… the es, they had more of an evening bent to them – it was all shoes… the clothes are so cute!” Olivia Wilde noted the the Tamara Mellon woman, really.” Cue crystal-encrusted savviness of the pairing. “I think it’s very cool that the beaucashmere knits, maxi dresses with perfectly placed slits, tiful fashion and style of Jimmy Choo can be more accessible one-shoulder suede dresses, faux fur cover-ups, fringed to millions more people. I’ve always loved H&M, and I’ve pieces and suiting for men. They were, as Mellon called it at bought tons of stuff there. It’s a very stylish brand, and I the time, the “perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear think people who buy H&M are very discerning. They have out that night!” great taste, and they are going to really appreciate the influence “To be able to have clothing from Tamara and Jimmy of Jimmy Choo, whom I’ve been a fan of for many years.” Choo, when the label didn’t even do its own ready-to-wear, But for the all the excitement and Hollywood stargazing was something really unique and genius of H&M,” asserts at the LA party, what Jimmy Choo for H&M ultimately Mickey Boardman. “It’s not like you just got a cheaper vershowed the world was that everyone could be a Choo girl, no sion of a Jimmy Choo shoe. You also got stuff that was truly matter where she lived, and whether or not she trod the red limited edition. That’s what luxury is all about.” carpet. Sexy, strong and independent, this girl understands To advertise the collaboration, H&M and the Jimmy modern glamour. Intelligent and confident, she knows that Choo team turned to a photographer they had worked with her shoes convey a mood, and a fierce attitude. And for her, before: Terry Richardson. The setting: the then yet-to-open nothing does that better than her beloved Choos. Boom Boom Room nightclub (which later became an in-
“Jimmy Choo makes the kind of shoes women want, even when they are flat”
130
Olivia Wilde “I think
people who buy H&M are very discerning. They have great taste, and they are going to really appreciate the influence of Jimmy Choo, whom I’ve been a fan of for many years”
Edita Vilkeviciute and Sasha Pivovarova photographed by Terry Richardson for the campaign
Each pair was a textbook statement shoe, and instantly covetable Tamara Mellon cinches a model’s belt at the day of the Jimmy Choo for H&M campaign shoot
133
Tamara Mellon
“The Jimmy Choo for H&M collection embodies the attitude and spirit of laidback party glamour. Los Angeles is the perfect setting to do a party”
THE PARTY
Celebrities in attendance: (clockwise from top left) Paris Hilton, Tamara Mellon with Hayden Panettiere, Olivia Wilde and Sasha Alexander, Whitney Port with Tamara Mellon, Kate Walsh with friend. At right: M.I.A. performing
The Pieces that stood out Mickey Boardman
“To be able to have clothing from Tamara and Jimmy Choo, when the label didn’t even do its own ready-to-wear, was something really unique and genius of H&M”
1
Open toe, ankle-strap patent leather stiletto with a Dalmatian print and golden buckle.
From the campaign: Randy Lebeau and Edita Vilkeviciute
What Jimmy Choo for H&M ultimately showed the world was that everyone could be a Choo girl Sasha Pivovarova from the campaign
2
Vintage-inspired suede dress in Jimmy Choo’s signature blue colour.
3
5 At the fitting: trying a pair on for size
Open-toe ankle bootie with cut-out heel in suede and leather and with studs and eyelet detailing.
Zebra printed, fold-over, suede clutch bag with golden details.
4
Cut-off cowboy boot with snakeskin printed leather and different sized studs.
“The collection is all about perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!” ta m a r a m e l l o n
142
